The Irish standard., 1887-04-23
STATESMAN and SATIRIST.
Another Chapter Of Current History
from the Pen Of T.
NJ. Healy.
BUCKsH0T FORSTER, A FIGHTER.
Incapable A. J: Balfour's Weak Attempt
to defend the Policy Of
the Tories


the Tories.
Three times during the debate on the
cloture just passed, said the Irish Ju-
yenal of prose {. little while ago, the
Tories made elaborate arrangements for
an a!lnight sitting in order to work up
feeling in the English Constituencies to
prove the necessity for the rule and
generate momentum to pass it. Each
time the Irish party bat1led the project,
and none OF the elegant little suppers
ordered elaborately and ostentatiously
by Our virtuous squjrearchy. Then
wheu the cloture rule that was to put
an end to all obstruction and disorder
was passed, and our admirable Govern
lnent were thinking OF nothing atall, :"
it seemed good to certain members OF
the opposition to give Messrs. ". f..
Smith K Co taste Of tl.elr quality
Never, apparently, were men more sur
prised or disorganized by an all-night
sitting. 10 my sorroW 1 got in too late
for the actual proceedings, but time
enough to witness how completely the
young gentlemen who had been howl
ing for ail-ajghL work ten days ago were
knocked in q heap by a single expert
ment in that direction. Their plan. as
devised three weeks ago, was TO choose
their own baJlle ground when the dis
cussion was or the technicalities Of
procedure, then to divide themselves
into relays aud to tire out a much
smaller party. The small party, how
ever, had no notion Of going into fight
under such conditions, and therefore,
tackled and backed until the odds got 8
little more equal. Than they began the
fun, but, so played, the game seemed
very poor sport for the after-dinner
brayos, who fell from below the gang
way, many of whom were routed out OF
bed to make up th3 required 200. Ac-
,cordlngly, when the House resumed on
Tuesday, after it's twenty-one hours
spell, our Whilom fire eaters went round
crying out that they were tired, and
should have an early adjournment shat
night. So they got one Of their men to
move it at IL p. H., to the great salts
faction OF the Irish party, who, in view
Of the Struggle just ahead on the coer-
cion bill, cleverIy seized the oppor-
t1lnity OF teaching such persons that the
all-nigbt sittings they have been pining
for are not such child's play after all.
The incident will prove a most whole
some one for the rowdy gentry whose
pothOuse exal.atiOns towards midnight
have lately turned the FIRST assembly"
into music hall annex. 1t has put
them. moreover, entirely out Of conceit
with their cloture regulation which
they spent six weeks III forging. ana
everybody is now convinced that if
Smith and Co. had brought in coercion
at The outset, their bill would have been
much further forward by Easter than it
is likely to be got by the use of the gag.
1t may have been the fatigue Of the late
sitting (which Mr.. Balfour pleaded)
that made him cut SO poor figure on
Mr.. Mor'ey's amendment, and that his
canacities have yet to be tested under
fairer conditions. Good speaking, ad-
is largely a question ct the
conditions Of the moment, but
even tired man need not display the
attitude OF dancing master or the
Ignorance Of q school-boy. A more de-
plo,ably frivolous and unconscientious
performance than Mr. Balfour's was
never witnessed on the part Of min
lister charged with Weighty matters of
state. The man seemed utterly unable
to realize his position Or the situation of
the country. We all remember Forster
and Harcourt bringing in the bills Of
'8l> and ,'s2. Old Buckshot was a splen-
did fighter. He threw down his head
like bull and roared some rugged re-
tort at every shaft Of the picaoor He
was a serious person to have to deal
with. He knew his men and his matter
and his House Of Commons, and with
all his studiedroughness and simulated
he was as cunning as a fox
and as relentless as tiger. Then Har-
court-who had charge of the Crimes
Act-how he slogged and hit and gashed
right and left! Still there was no bait
ing him, if he had not his own gallery
to play to. All through the night of
July /. 's2, which ended in the suspen-
sion of thirty or forty of the Irish party,
he sat or slept composedly under fire,
until his relays turned up at a. NJ,
and then Vesuvius opened to quick
music! BY ten we were consoling our
selves on the terrace with strawberries
and cream, after our night suspended
from the service of the House for the
remainder of that days sitting There
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